Synthroid has dangerous additives in it?

LilacTree · ‎03-25-2012

A poster in another forum I participate in has claimed she and her husband have taken themselves off all meds and they are doing great. They both have autoimmune issues. That didn’t bother me, as I’ve seen it before.

What did peak my interest is she said she has stopped taking her thyroid med (Synthroid, the med I’ve been taking for 30 years) and she’s doing great without it. I researched this and couldn’t find anything specific. She said it has “additives” in it that she believes caused her autoimmune diseases in the first place.

I asked her for her source and so far she hasn’t answered me. I was always told I have to take Synthroid for the rest of my life, as a diabetic has to have insulin. And since hypothyroidism was the first autoimmune disease I got, Synthroid was the first med I was given also.

Just wondering if any of you on a thyroid med have ever heard of this. At the very least I’m going to ask my RA doc to do a thorough thyroid panel on me the next time I see her. One of the things I did learn in my research was that as we age, our prescription strength should be lowered.

I’ve never worried about my thyroid before, and oddly none of my docs have either.

Formerly Ford1224
We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Elie Wiesel 1986

Tyak · ‎01-26-2013

I've never heard anything like that and I've been on synthroid for 40 years.

cherry · ‎03-09-2010

t has binders in it. They make me sick and I can't take it. I take Armour instead it is real and has no binders

I don't think they are dangerous. It is just that some people can't tolerate them. I am one

KentuckyWoman · ‎03-13-2010

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism twenty years ago and was promptly put on Synthroid. My doctor said I probably should have been on as soon as my late teens or early 20's. I have blood work done twice a year and they adjust the dosage as needed. I've had no problems or side effects and I have never heard any negative or alarming information being released concerning this medication.

Vivian · ‎03-11-2010

Please beware of anecdotal evidence presented on the Internet. I had thyroid cancer and had a total thyroidectomy. I MUST take thyroid meds. All medications have additives, some of which hold the pills together, for example. There is so much misinformation floating around. Let scientific research, and your doctor, be your guide. When I hear people talking against medications, vaccinations, etc., I remind them that the average lifespan at the beginning of the 20th century was about 30 years less than it is now.

jlkz · ‎12-02-2013

Inhave been on Synthroid since 1970’s with no problems.

My thickened top eyelids are a side effect but plastic surgery took care of that in 1996.

We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.
Sir Winston Churchill

Icegoddess · ‎03-19-2010

Almost all meds have additives, generally fillers and binders. That doesn't make them dangerous. Also, in most cases thyroid disease is an autoimmune disorder, so if you're taking thyroid meds, you already have an autoimmune disorder. The medicine isn't causing it. I think the one case in which hypothyroidism is not an autoimmune disorder is when it is caused by a lack of iodine which is quite rare in the US.

That being said, if you look at all the commercials out there for new drugs and then it mentions all the possible side effects. So, the job of the doctor is the weigh the possible detriment of the side effects with the possible relief you would be receiving from the med.

If left untreated, thyroid disease can lead to death, so I wouldn't take the word of someone on a forum, even a forum specifically directed at your medical condition as gospel. The thyroid, which secretes a hormone, affects a lot of bodily systems.

Annabellethecat66 · ‎03-12-2010

I don't even have a thyroid and if I don't take Synthroid, well...I'll die.

I've taken it for at least 4 years (can't even remember when it was removed).

I don't think (as we all know) you can't believe what you read on the internet, etc.

You MUST trust our doctors. If your Dr tells you to take it, and you question, get another DR's consultation, but NEVER just stop taking a medicine just because you read it on the internet or from anyone else.

@LilacTree I know isn't saying to stop taking it, she's just asking if anyone else has read or heard of this. I have autoimmune problems too (separate from thyroid) and I trust my Drs.

millieshops · ‎03-09-2010

@LilacTreeMy philosophy is that what works well for one or even a few people can be worth investigating, but I hesitate to automatically assume it will work well for me.

I want advice based on more than a feeling - that's the kind of faux thinking that has brought measles back into any number of communities.

Snowpuppy · ‎03-09-2010

@cherry wrote:
t has binders in it. They make me sick and I can't take it. I take Armour instead it is real and has no binders

I don't think they are dangerous. It is just that some people can't tolerate them. I am one

I have a reaction to Synthroid, too. The entire formulation, including binders and fillers is synthetic.

I went to Armour, a lesser reaction but still a reaction. There is Tirosint which is a gelcap and is free of additives. I haven't tried that yet.

FWIW, I quit Synthroid and Armour cold turkey because of the side effects and I'm still here.